Guideline Approaches for Cardioendocrine Disease Surveillance and Treatment Following Spinal Cord Injury

Persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) commonly experience individual risks and coalesced health hazards of the cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS). This review examines the role of exercise and nutritional intervention as countermeasures to these disease risks. Improved surveillance of the population for CMS risks and encouraged incorporation of exercise and nutritional management according to recent population-specific guidelines will most likely play an important role in the preservation of activity, optimal health, and independence throughout the lifespan.

• 1
  The CMS hazards of overweight/obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia are strongly associated with physical deconditioning and are common after SCI.
• 2
  Physical activity after SCI represents an effective countermeasure to these risks and often represents the first-line approach to CMS abatement.
• 3
  SCI is also associated with poor dietary habits, including excessive energy intake and saturated fat consumption, more comprehensive lifestyle management incorporating both exercise and nutrition represents a preferred approach for overall health management.